Since starting out in Virginia earlier this month, John and Helen Taylor have been driving back and forth across the United States in a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI in pursuit of the Guinness record for fuel efficiency on a trip through all 48 contiguous United States. When Leftlane met them in Santa Monica, California, they were halfway through their trip and running 58 miles per gallon, well ahead of the previous record. Our question was: Could a press hotshoe from Leftlane come close to that mark on a 180 mile trip through Los Angeles’ canyons by following these two experts’ advice? Turned out all we had to do was slow down and enjoy the drive.
The Taylors have devoted most of the last 25 years to becoming the world’s leading fuel efficiency driving team, setting records during trips on every continent. They are now on a 9,300 mile trip sponsored by VW and Shell in a Jetta TDI, powered by the first 50-state legal diesel engine (Mercedes’ 50-state Bluetec goes on sale a little later this year). The Guinness rules require that they drive at least 15 miles in every one of the lower 48 states.
We met them in Santa Monica, California, at the official press introduction of the 2009 Jetta TDI. They were close to halfway through their journey and enjoying a two-day layover, long enough to chat with Leftlane while getting their laundry done. Challenging the previous record for such a trip of 51 mpg, they were well on their way to setting a new record, having maintained 58 mpg for the trip so far, in spite of just having climbed across the mountains bordering California.
John and Helen are definitely on a mission, trying to do their part to convince the world that if we just drive a little more sensibly, we can cut automobile usage of fossil fuels by as much as 30 percent. On their website, www.fuelacademy.com, they offer 30 tips to save fuel when driving.
I was driving with a journalist who had a reputation for winning every press launch contest where speed and handling were the key, but this time we decided we were going to win VW’s award for highest fuel efficiency on the one-day press drive. To do that, we took the Taylors’ advice.
Their first tip is to drive a fuel-efficient vehicle. In their case, VW had given them its new clean-diesel powered Jetta TDI to challenge the record. No problem there.
Tip two: Avoid unnecessarily high engine speed. With the VW’s optional DSG automatic, that was easy, but anyone can do it. All you have to do is keep an eye on the tachometer. After a few miles we discovered that the great torque of the engine allowed us to stay below 1,600 rpm on all but the steepest inclines. The Taylors say that even in city driving, they shift up to fifth gear, though most people rarely shift past third.
Tip three: Drive smoothly. That did require us to consciously change our driving habits, since we enjoy that little thrill that comes from rapid acceleration. On our first few miles in rush hour traffic along Ocean Avenue, we made some drivers unhappy as we slowly pulled away from the stoplights, but the funny thing was that they had ample time to give us dirty looks as we sat side-by-side at the next stoplight.
Tip four: Plan ahead to avoid changing speed unnecessarily. To do that required looking well ahead to avoid stopping at traffic lights as much as possible. We also didn’t want to have to slow down abruptly to avoid traffic or prepare for a tight curve. We did make a point of watching the rear view mirrors, using turn-outs to avoid inconveniencing drivers who wanted to drive faster than we did.
Tip five: Enjoy the journey. Both of us admitted that this test drive was a radically different experience from previous press trips. On the curving canyon roads between Pacific Coast Highway and Mulholland Drive, we would normally be driving as close to safe limits as possible, enjoying the feeling of a good-handling car in tune with the road.
This time, however, we kept our speed to around 40 mph, except when coasting downhill with our foot off the throttle. Most modern engines shut off the injectors, using no fuel whatsoever whenever the throttle is completely closed; no need to shift into neutral or switch off the engine when coasting, both of which are unsafe practices.
The amazing thing was that, even though both of us had been through these canyons dozens of times, we were noticing for the first time the beautiful vistas along the ridges that had once been the backdrop for a long string of Paramount Pictures western movies. Along the coast, we actually had time to check out the surfers on the beach, and in the valleys we admired the beautiful horses in the white-fenced paddocks that, according to the signs we had time to read, are the home of the U.S. equestrian team.
With the windows down and the air conditioning turned off (a good way to save fuel at any speed under 50 mph) we could enjoy the variety of smells that the breeze carried through the windows: New-mown hay, flowers planted along the fences, good old-fashioned horse manure, and once, the aroma of skunk smelled early enough so we could avoid the carcass in the middle of the road.
Beyond turning another day of rushing curves and challenging apexes into a pleasurable opportunity to see the sights, reminding us those Sunday drives we once took with our families, how did we do on fuel?
As we drove, we were amazed to watch the average mpg read-out creep up on both the morning and afternoon drives to levels we’d never experienced before. No journalist we talked to recorded less than 35 mpg for the day’s trip, but we did even better. Our combined morning and afternoon average was 44.5 mpg, just good enough to give us the victory when the awards were announced at the evening dinner.
And all we had to do was slow down, shift sooner, and enjoy the drive.
Words by Gary Anderson. Photos by Mark Elias.
Leftlane reviewer Mark Elias’ full review of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI can be found here.
